If there is any truth to the mounting rape and misconduct charges facing Israeli President Moshe Katzav, it will be a sad day not only for Israel but all religious Jews. The truth is that at this point there is not much to say. Katzav is innocent until proven otherwise. That said, it does not look good for the President.

What is most pathetic about the Katzav affair is that right around the time these charges started to pop up, the president was letting it be known that he would not refer to Conservative and Reform rabbis as “rabbis.” So I guess it’s kosher to ogle some young women but to call a Reform Jew “rabbi” is sacrilegious. How pious!!

If any of these charges is true–and there are a number of them to reckon with–this is just another case of religious people giving religious people a bad name.

Its not that Katzav should be treated any more harshly than anyone else. It’s just that I wish religious people would stop being so concerned with mitzvot ben adam la makom (deeds done between man and God) while ignoring mitzvot ben adam lechavero (interpersonal religious behavior).

Katzav, just do us a favor: Before you go around giving us your religious assessment of other human beings, go worry about your own neshamah (soul).